This invention relates to multi-purpose optical data processors and, more particularly, to optical data processors having shared optics for selectively performing light/lens xerographic copying and one or more laser scanning functions, such as laser input scanning, laser xerographic printing, and laser photographic, thermographic and luminescent recording.
Dedicated light/lens xerographic copiers, laser input scanners, and laser xerographic, photographic and thermographic printers are available in the prior art. Those units have been developed for a variety of diverse optical data processing applications; including, for example, photocopying in the case of the light/lens copiers, facsimile input scanning and video data processing in the case of the raster input scanners, and facsimile and computer output printing in the case of the laser printers.
Laser scanners have been provided for selectively performing laser reading and writing functions. Indeed, the Telecopier 200 fascimile transceiver, which is manufactured and sold by Xerox Corporation, has shared optics which are selectively utilized to perform laser input scanning when the transceiver is operating in a transmit mode and laser xerographic printing when the transceiver is operating in a receive mode.
Heretofore, however, shared optics have not been employed to any substantial extent in multi-purpose optical data processors which rely on slit scanning for light/lens xerograhic copying and raster scanning for laser reading and writing. The economic and packaging advantages of providing shared optics for such a processor are clear. Thus, a likely explanation for the absence of a relevant teaching in the known prior art is that no one has previously found shared optics which can accommodate the diverse optical requirements imposed by the dissimilar scanning patterns.